Senior Staff BESS Operations Engineer

Form Energy; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Form Energy is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to oversee the dispatch, performance, and revenue optimization of the utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System portfolio. You will translate asset constraints into dynamic market bidding while maintaining grid compliance and long-term asset health.

This role interfaces with Reliability Engineering and Field Service to maximize financial value and system uptime, guiding degradation modeling and post-dispatch reviews.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in utility-scale BESS operations, renewable asset management, energy trading, or dispatch.
• Technical expertise in BESS architecture and SCADA protocols.
• Knowledge of ISO/RTO market structures and bidding rules.
• Experience balancing market revenue with asset health.

Responsibilities

• Direct BESS portfolio dispatch and optimize SOC within system limits.
• Lead revenue-stacking across wholesale energy, capacity, and ancillary services.
• Ensure dispatch actions comply with grid codes and interconnection agreements.
• Collaborate with Reliability Engineering to incorporate degradation modeling.
• Monitor SCADA/EMS/PCS/BMS data for performance and faults.
• Coordinate maintenance with Field Service to maximize uptime.
• Conduct post-dispatch reviews and tune bidding/dispatch logic.
• Lead root-cause analyses for major incidents and drive improvements.

Skills

BESS operations expertise

Revenue optimization

Market structures knowledge

Data analysis (Python/SQL/MATLAB)

Strong communication

ISO/RTO bidding protocols

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Electrical Engineering / Power Systems / quantitative engineering

Tools

DNP3

Modbus

IEC 61850

Job description

Are you ready to build America's energy future? Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company. We're revolutionizing energy storage with cost-effective, multi-day technology designed to keep the electric grid secure and reliable, even during extended periods of stress. By strengthening the electric system and reimagining what's possible, we're giving clean energy a whole new form!

In recent years, Form Energy has earned a number of accolades, including being named by TIME as a "Best Invention", MIT Technology Review as a "Top Climate Tech Company To Watch", and Fast Company as "One of the Next Big Things In Tech". We are making rapid progress on our mission of delivering energy storage for a better world, and our team is growing just as rapidly to meet demand. We have signed contracts with leading electric utilities across the United States and production of our iron-air batteries is underway at our first high-volume manufacturing facility in West Virginia.

Working for Form Energy is more than just a job, it's a chance to be part of something extraordinary. And now - right as we significantly scale up battery manufacturing - might be the most exciting moment in the company's history to join. We are assembling a team of highly talented and driven individuals across the country. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, our team is determined to deliver on our mission and transform the energy landscape for the better.

Feeling energized to make a meaningful impact on the world? Then keep reading - you've come to the right place.

Role Description

The Senior Staff Engineer operates at the critical intersection of product engineering, commercial strategy, and real-time operations. You will be responsible for managing the day-to-day dispatch, performance, and revenue optimization of our utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) portfolio. You will translate complex physical asset constraints, including battery state of health, inverter limits, operational constraints, and degradation curves, into dynamic market bidding and revenue-stacking strategies across wholesale energy markets. Serving as the primary link and interface between external market stakeholders and internal engineering teams (Reliability Engineering, Field Service), you will ensure our BESS portfolio deliver maximum financial value while maintaining grid compliance and long-term asset health.

Relocation assistance is available.

What you'll do:

• Direct BESS portfolio dispatch, managing SOC and market awards within physical system limits.
• Execute revenue-stacking across wholesale energy, capacity, and ancillary services to maximize returns, including acting as the primary contact for ISO/RTOs and QSE/SCs
• Ensure all dispatch actions, system settings, and operations comply with grid codes, interconnection agreements, and NERC standards.
• Partner with Reliability Engineering to integrate degradation modeling into dispatch logic.
• Monitor SCADA, EMS, PCS, and BMS data streams to identify underperformance or operational anomalies.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance and fault resolution with the Field Service team to maximize system uptime.
• Troubleshoot unexpected trips, communication drops, or curtailments, directing safe returns-to-service with the Field Service team.
• Conduct post-dispatch reviews to evaluate asset performance, quantify financial returns, and tune bidding & dispatch logic.
• Lead or support root cause analyses (RCA) for major operational incidents, distilling technical findings into actionable improvement plans.

What you'll bring:

• 10+ years in utility-scale BESS operations, renewable asset management, energy trading, or power plant dispatch.
• Technical expertise in BESS architecture (string balancing, PCS, EMS control loops) and SCADA protocols (DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850).
• Knowledge of ISO/RTO market structures, bidding protocols, settlement rules, and ancillary services.
• Experience balancing market revenue with long-term asset health.
• Proficiency analyzing high-frequency operational time-series data using Python, SQL, or MATLAB.
• Exceptional communication skills to bridge product engineering, field service, and power market operators.
• Strong situational awareness and decision-making in fast-paced, real-time environments.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, or a related quantitative engineering field.

#LI-Onsite

Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy's culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here.

When it comes to you and your family's health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed.

To build America's energy future, we need everyone at the table. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply to our open jobs.

If you may require reasonable accommodations to participate in our interview process, please contact [e-mail]. Requests for accommodations will be treated with discretion.

Form Energy is committed to maintaining the privacy of our applicants. Please be aware that we will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.